Tag Archives: seasonal

Blueberry and Cashew Bars

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avocado lime cheesecakeWhen the ‘Hemsley and Hemsley’ book was published we all fell in love with their avocado cheesecake and spiralised veg to replace noodles.  I bought their book based on the avocado and lime cheesecake recipe that appeared on their twitter feed one afternoon. Intensely green, it looked wonderful. My dinner guests agreed and I couldn’t help thinking about all the possible versions you could make using their recipe as a formula. Here is my first attempt, which although rather dark in colour owing to the use of dried blueberries, was astonishingly good. When I make this again I will experiment with fruit for a lighter hue.

Before you start you need a food processor to make this and an oblong loose-based tin measuring approximately 10 x 36cm (use a round one if necessary). You also need to soak the cashew nuts and blueberries overnight. This is a great dessert to make if you are entertaining vegetarian or vegan guests. Brilliant also when soft fruits are not in season.

For the baseblueberry cashew bars

125g nuts (not roasted), pecans and walnuts work well (or use a mixture)

45g desiccated coconut

85g raw cocoa nibs (optional)

185g dried fruit (I used a blend of cranberries, sultanas, cherries & goji berries)

3 tbsp melted coconut oil

 

The topping

225g raw cashew nuts

200g dried blueberries

125ml almond milk

1 tsp Manuka honey or Agave nectar to taste

4 tbsp melted coconut oil

Edible primrose petals or other flowers to garnish

The day before you want to make the bars put the cashew nuts and dried blueberries into a bowl and pour over the almond milk. Cover and leave overnight, mixing a couple of times.

First make the base. Place all the ingredients apart from the oil in the food processor. Process until finely chopped. Add the coconut oil then pulse and tip the mixture into the loose-based pan. Press down evenly with the back of a metal spoon until tightly packed and chill whilst you make the topping. Use the food processor again for the topping. Place all the ingredients into the bowl and blitz until the mixture is smooth. It may look like a lot and be quite gloopy but it will set. Pour the mixture onto the base and chill for at least 2-3 hours before serving. Cut into bars but not too thick this is quite rich!

bb cashew bar 9x6_edited-1

Variations

For the base: Use the recipe as a formula here. You need to keep the ratio of nuts to fruit with the coconut oil. Stick to the amounts by always using 125g nuts to 185g fruit.

For the topping: Keep the ingredients the same ratio but experiment with different fruit. Blend dried and fresh fruit but be careful not to make the mixture too sloppy. Cashews are the best nuts to use for this as they blend down to a creamy texture more easily than others.

 

 

 

Blueberry tart

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This is my version of a recipe given me to by my uncle’s American girlfriend who is a fabulous home cook. At first sight the recipe lacked appeal, but being packed with fruit and highly recommended, I gave it a whirl. It was light, bursting with flavour and really simple to prepare. A few tweaks makes it both vegan and gluten free too. I exchanged half the flour for almonds but feel free to swap it back if you want. The vinegar adds a welcome acidity and binds the crust.

Use a 22cm loose-base flan tin

Crust:blueberry-TART

100g butter (slightly softened)
100g ground almonds
100g plain flour
25g golden castor sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Filling:
500g blueberries
1 tablespoon plain flour
100g castor sugar
3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
Topping:
250g blueberries
Icing sugar to dust

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C fan / gas mark 6

Prepare the crust first. Place the flour, sugar and almonds in a mixing bowl and rub in the butter. Add the vinegar to form a dough. It might be a little crumbly but that’s fine. Press the dough into the base and around the sides of the flan tin. Whizz the filling ingredients together in a blender, pour over the crust and place in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. When you are ready to serve, top with the fresh blueberries and dust with sugar. I served this with a dollop of half-fat crème fraiche and a drizzle of honey.

Download a pdf of the recipe for  blueberry tart

Text and images Shirlee
Recipe and images Shirlee

Eliza’s Tea Room

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elizas Hurst Farm, Chapel Lane, Milford, Surrey GU8 5HU

An established lunch and afternoon tea destination benefitting from a recent facelift and change of management

The Upside: Charming cakes, comforting soups, inspired savouries and freshly baked scones.

The Downside:  Lunches are from 12-2.30 and the tea-room shuts at 4.30pm everyday.

The Flip-side: Lovely company creating unique food and local employment.

Tips: Leave plenty of time to mooch around Secretts Farm Shop too. They have an eclectic stock with some intriguing finds.

When word on the street filtered through that Suke and Tom Wibaut (owners of Butter and Cream) had taken over Eliza’s Tea Room it was welcome news. Situated right next to the entrance of Secretts Farm Shop this venue had been inching its way towards a fresh start for a while. Tired décor and a menu as old as some regulars had contributed to its fading star status.

elizas eggsAt the moment changes here are small but visible to those in the know. Appreciating the loyal following the tea-room still has, firm favourites such filled baked potatoes have, for now, remained. New more contemporary menu items are being slowly added while Tom (a carpenter by trade) has refitted and restyled the serving area. Now there is plenty of room for a shiny new coffee machine and a large display area for gorgeous cakes (£3.00 a slice) and freshly baked scones (Cream teas from £5.45). For the more adventurous diner the specials board features seasonal bakes, tarts and home-made soups. Previously some of the food on offer was bought in so it’s delightful to see many more dishes being prepared on site from fresh produce some of which is local.

elizas 4

Having photographed the new menu for Suke I already had a sneak preview of the changes here. Designer sandwiches with interesting fillings, fresh soups with classy garnishes and great new breakfast menu. A few weeks later I popped in for lunch with my daughter. We sat with our backs to the specials board and ordered off the main menu but were lucky enough after chatting to the chef sample what was on offer . The beetroot, sweet potato and celeriac gratin had a subtle spicy earthy flavour, complimented by the sweetness of the potato which lent itself to the creamy texture . The roasted tomato tart was housed in a perfect short crust case and the rich yellow custard complimented the savoury-sweet tang of the roasted tomatoes (both (£7.95 with salad).

eliza's trio

Having chosen from the main menu my daughter loved her classic tuna filled potato. This is a combo that seems to have beaten off the competition over the years, canned tuna mixed with mayonnaise, lemon juice and a few twists of black pepper in a piping hot oven baked spud. The oven baking of course develops a delicious skin and is a far superior being to those lazily blasted in a microwave. I opted for a new menu item; salad of roasted beetroot and butternut squash served over Secretts leaves and finished with chunks of fresh goats cheese (£8.25). The leaves had been tossed in a light, balsamic and olive oil dressing before serving, lending a refreshing tangy edge to each bite. The beetroot and squash were served warm making each cheese-laden mouthful one to savour.

After a busy morning and tasty lunch we still had room for a scone and a slice of gluten free almond cake all made by Suke’s team at Butter and Cream. The almond cake was moist and nutty and the scone would have got 10/10 from even the most old school Home Economics teacher. There is also a new breakfast menu which really comes in to it’s own on Sundays where you can enjoy cook to order French toast, American pancakes with maple syrup which compliment creamy scrambled eggs and omelettes.

Changes here mark a positive new era in the life of this Tea Room and it’s definitely worth a visit. Put it on your go to list!

Visit their facebook page here

01483 520525

elizas cakes 9x6

Strawberry Vanilla Muffins

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The current unsettled weather finds us tripping in and out of our gardens snatching minutes of warming sun and hiding from sudden showers. Next time those grey clouds make an appearance  rustle up a summery  batch these light fluffy muffins for tea. With any luck by the time they are ready the sun will be back.

strawberry muffins 2042

You can download a printable version of the recipe Strawberry Vanilla Muffins here.

Ingredients  (Makes 8 large or 12 medium muffins)

60ml sunflower oil
120ml semi-skimmed milk
1 medium egg
Pinch salt
1 x 5ml spoon baking powder
100g vanilla castor sugar * or plain sugar and a tsp of vanilla essence
220g fine plain flour
150g fresh strawberries, de-hulled and finely chopped
2 strawberries, de-hulled and finely sliced for decoration

Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC / 170ºC fan / gas mark 5.

Whisk the oil, milk and egg together in a small mixing bowl. Place the salt, baking powder, sugar and flour in a large mixing bowl and stir together.Add the chopped strawberries and mix to coat with dry ingredients. Pour in the milk mixture and stir together quickly. The mixture will be slightly lumpy. Layout 8 large or 12 medium size muffin cases in a muffin tray. Using 2 metal spoons divide the muffin mixture equally between them.Place slices of fresh strawberry on top of each muffin.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and firm to touch.

Delicious eaten while still warm!

These will keep for a couple of days in an airtight cake tin but are best eaten on the day of baking.

Variations: try using fresh raspberries or blueberries in place of strawberries or a mixture of all three.

*Vanilla sugar; if you have a couple of spare vanilla pods sitting in a tube, stick them in a large jar and top up with caster sugar (I use golden brown). This gives an extra flavour layer to your baking. Simply top up the jar with sugar each time you use some.

Sally Iddles Fabulous Food

Catering company, corporate events, event caterer, Food producers, functions, Restaurant consultant, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A food consultant and caterer who teams creative prowess with exuberant energysally and suke

The Main Event: Restaurant menu development and gorgeous food for events.

Tips: Need a forkful of inspiration for your menu? Give Sally a call!

Sally and I first met at Sainsbury’s when she was a development chef in the late 1990’s. After we both relocated to Surrey we often bumped into each other at events where Sally was catering. Her food is always beautifully presented but also scores on taste because she has a knack of teasing the most out of simple high quality ingredients. She achieves this by adding seasonings such as dukkah, sumac, infused oils and freshly roasted spices, nudging her food up the scale. Her style is unique and it makes you realise how many eateries are happy to go along with ‘safe’ offerings that fail to impress. Sally proved that with tweaks here and there a menu can be transformed from simple into special. Her ability to come up with new menu items is impressive too and her background (Waitrose and Sainsbury’s) also means that she has a keen eye on profit margins. Keeping up with new food trends is essential and her knowledge of new openings, current food writers and supermarket product development helps immensely.

elizas breakfast trio

I got to see Sally at work first hand this week. Suke Wibaut from ‘Butter and Cream’ cakes has recently taken over Elizas’s Tea Room at Secretts in Milford. A busy lady with a shop in Milford, a long list of private orders and a market stall at North Street Guildford, Suke realised she needed a hand. Sally just happened to pop in and the result was a ‘brief’ to revamp the menu for Elizas’s. The menu, loved as it is by regulars, doesn’t reflect the area’s changing demographic and Suke also wants to cater for a younger more discerning clientele. I went to take the photographs for Sally and afterwards Suke and I had, unexpectedly, learnt so much I felt privileged to have been there.

elizas_soups

The brief doesn’t end in Sally’s kitchen. As part of the service she offers to go and work with restaurant teams in-house. This helps them to feel confident in delivering their new dishes consistently. There is nothing worse than eating a delicious meal that isn’t the same next time around.

Sally also gets involved with lots of different event work in Surrey and a few months ago I met her at a fundraiser where she donated her skills to Disability Challengers. This pop-up dinner and auction successfully raised over £16,000 for the charity. Many of the events catered for are weddings but Sally also does corporate work such as a launch for the new vintage sparkling rose wine at Greyfriars Vineyard here in Surrey.

eliza_salad_tea

In our work we go to many restaurants and cafes that seem happy to offer the same food as elsewhere. Given that many of the residents of Surrey have either moved from London or work there, it would be really good to see more of the Capital’s creative cuisine filter into this area. We love local food especially if it is creatively cooked and well presented with original dressings on salads plus innovative use of herbs and seasonings. The new menu at Eliza’s incorporates all those elements and I am looking forward to the launch.

If you know of a menu out there that needs a hoist into this decade, Sally’s contact details are listed below.

http://sallyiddles.co.uk/

07702 224873

 

Recipe Review: Fish provencal and Thai green chicken curry

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When we were contacted by Marks and Spencer’s PR company to do some recipe testing we thought why not? While we always try and buy from independent shops our busy unpredictable lifestyles sometimes mean we get the timing wrong. The small Simply M&S Stores at service stations offer convenience, quality and long opening hours. The fact you can get in and out fast is a big plus. Bigger stores have also got some great products and I like the range of cooks ingredients recently introduced.

We were supplied with ingredients to try out two recipes. A cook from scratch Fish Provencal with line caught cod and the other a Thai green chicken curry using a jar of ‘Count on us” reduced calorie sauce.

Fish provencal 

This tasty dish was a real hit! Using a selection of fresh vegetables alongside a can of cherry tomatoes gave the sauce a rich texture with a short cooking time. The suggested 15 minutes prep time on the recipe was a challenge even with my knife skills but it is a relatively quick dish to make. Using fresh herbs and crunchy peppers gives plenty of texture and depth of flavour. If you prefer your veggies softer then simply add an extra 8-10 minutes to the suggested cooking time and you end up with a more ratatouille style sauce. Served with steamed couscous, this dish was satisfying to eat and felt body kind. The recipe states its 325 calories but this doesn’t take into account the couscous. I thought this was a bit misleading at its shown on the recipe image.

Verdict? I would definately make this again! Download the recipe here

fish_provencal

 

Thai green chicken curry

This dish is packed with fresh chicken and crunchy vegetables. The sauce (from the ‘count on us’ range) is very mild so if you are used to eating spicy punchy Thai food this may not be for you. This low calorie sauce has very little coconut milk in it hence the muted texture and mouthfeel. You zip the dish up just before serving with  fish sauce so you can up the quantity add some extra zing. Again the calorie value here does not include the noodles so if you are counting add that into the equation. Its difficult to make a low calorie version of a Thai green curry that relies on the georgous creamy  nutty flavour and texture of coconut (and very calorific) so if you avoid this dish on that basis it could work for you.

Verdict: The low calorie nature of this classic Asian dish is a big compromise , but if you like mild curries it might just suit your palate. Download the recipe for Thai Green Curry here

thaigreencurry

Text and images Shirlee
Recipe testing by Shirlee

 

 

The Lakeside Restaurant

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School of Management, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH

A training restaurant that is open to the public and part run by studentsdessert trio

The upside: Delicious healthy food competitively priced between 12-2pm Monday – Friday

The downside: Ring in advance before you visit; the restaurant sometimes hosts special events for the university and is closed to the public

The flipside: Holding an ‘eat out, eat well’ award from Surrey County Council means health is top of the bill here.

Teaching at Surrey University this academic year has involved an occasional lunch with speakers in the training restaurant.  It is fair to say the Lakeside’s professional team could give any local restaurateurs a run for their money. Lakeside provides a valuable experience for students learning the mechanics of how a real restaurant operates. Supported by three full time chefs, a manager and academic staff it provides support and confidence to students at the beginning of their careers. You might find the service a little shaky at times but it isn’t so different some of the experiences you can have had in the ‘real world’. Here, at least, students will be guided and mentored. By graduation they will have a good grasp of how to work in this challenging and growing industry. All students spend time at front and back of house and in their final year get to run the restaurant for the day. Menu planning, profit margins and service quality are all part of their assessment. These students aren’t training to be chefs but managers of the future. Hands on both in the kitchen and front of house experience, are essential to this.

The menu, which changes regularly, includes light bites at £5 a plate, a two-course lunch menu at £10.00 and à la carte (starters from £3.75 and mains from £9.25). Side orders such as steamed tender stem broccoli are a snip at £2.50 and portions are perfectly sized. Everything is made in house including bread, ice cream, biscuits and chocolates. Food is seasonal and locally sourced too; meat from Conisbee, salad leaves from Secretts and fish from sustainable sources.

lakeside_triostarters_

Visiting recently with colleagues, Lakeside proved how creative the food can be. Starters included prawn, avocado and red pepper tian (£4.75) a frisky combination of perfectly ripe avocado, sweet chargrilled red pepper with a tangy sauce. My colleague chose brandy flamed Catalan style clams in a tomato broth (both authentic and flavourful). The pomegranate and feta salad with sprouting seeds, honey balsamic and pumpkin seed dressing (£4.25) was crunchy, fresh and healthy even though the nutty sweet-and-sour dressing made it feel indulgent. The effort that goes into the dressings and added extras elevates and inspires.

For mains the fragrant Chinese pork with aubergine with vegetable fried rice (£11.25) reminded me of eating the best Asian street food. The aubergine was cooked to melt-in-the-mouth perfection. Pheasant supreme wrapped in bacon and served with vegetables coated in hazelnut and shallot vinaigrette (£12.50) was artfully served to my colleague and I was assured by the empty plate that this was as good as they claimed. The poached chicken with mango stuffing (£10.75) didn’t have the same presentational ‘wow factor’ but this creative combo of tender chicken breast and a delicate sweet stuffing worked well.

mains_lakeside

rasberry_icecream6x9We couldn’t resist the pudding menu and between us chose a zingy intensely fruity raspberry  sorbet and a rich vanilla icecream (both £3.75) and a dessert of the day, a combination of poached and fresh fruit with fresh cream and berry coulis (£4.75).

In addition to special events in the university the venue can also be booked for weddings and other special events out of term time. When I went to meet the team they were getting ready to give a chefs demonstration of modern smoking methods. This was part of a menu including deconstructed dishes such as beef wellington and apple pie. The creativity here gives the full time chefs a chance to shine too.

lakeside_chefs

Don’t be put off by the location of this restaurant. It serves innovative food at competitive prices with a menu change every month and it’s open all year round.

Just make sure you check availability in advance!david_chocolate-SCULPTURE

Lakeside website

01483 68 9655

The Naked Grocer

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10 Bridge Street, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, KT12 1AA

A sassy grocery store in the heart of Walton-on-Thames.

Go there for: A grand selection of fresh produce, a smattering of intriguing groceries and some foodie treats.

Avoid: The nearby multinationals  – support this award-winning local independent instead.

Is it worth the calories?: Absolutely! Send a lovely fruit box to a friend instead of chocolates – they’ll make one up for you and deliver it.

Tips: It’s on the one-way system but there’s some short-term parking round the corner. Closed on Thursday and Sunday.

The Naked Grocer was opened five years ago by energetic wholesale grocer Chris Bavin and his wife Millie. With some great ideas and chris and gregboundless enthusiasm they created a shop to serve local residents, businesses and offices. Co-hosting ‘Eat Well For Less’ with Greg Wallace last summer plus a full time job means you will only find Chris in the shop on Saturdays. During the week Millie and his sister Jacqui manage the business.

naked grocer honey 6x9Jane and I have learnt that ‘local’ for vegetables isn’t really always an option as the farmland here in Surrey isn’t the best for potatoes and other root veg. These are more likely to be grown in Kent or in Lincolnshire, where higher quality crops will prosper. It’s also a fact that local farms don’t like selling a bag a time to little independents but they do sell at wholesale markets. So Chris and Millie buy as much British fruit and veg as they can when it’s in season. Bananas and other exotics come from hotter countries.

They say the cost of fresh organic produce would be prohibitive, but they do sell top-quality fruit and veg. They stock some interesting supporting products, some of which are organic. On my last visit I picked up some organic cacao nibs and some Gran Luchito Mexican honey with chillies, which has just been featured in the Sunday papers as a must-have foodie gift. Also on offer was local untreated honey, a range of caramel sauces from local chocolate-maker Ildiko and jams made with a splash of Cretan olive oil from artisan producer The Olive Branch.

Walnuts, shop exterior, caramel sauce and Mexican honey

Their office fruit-box delivery scheme is a real hit. I can’t think of many people who wouldn’t prefer a lovely crunchy apple at work to replace the post-consumption guilt of calorie-rich biscuits or chocolates. Need to buy a gift for school or a business? Fruit is a much healthier and thoughtful gift. And if you live within three miles of the shop you can also take advantage of their veg-box delivery scheme.

nakedgrocer_6x9_veg

For many of us a corner grocery store is a thing of the past but the lucky residents of Walton-on-Thames can pop into The Naked Grocer. Their business mantra is to be ‘Fresh, Friendly and Fair’ and one to which they stay true. As winners for two years running of the Re:fresh Independent Retailer of the year award a lot of other people think so too.

The Naked Grocer websitenaked grocer outside 6x9

01932 254123

Text and images Shirlee
Text and images Shirlee

Green bean salad with hot bacon and tomato dressing

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greenbeensaladI grow green beans every summer and love making this keeping salad that tastes just as good the next day as it does freshly made. Picking young tender beans is a luxury so its great to make a fuss of them. If you don’t have any pomegranate molasses you can use balsamic glaze instead but it doesn’t quite bring the same acidic caramel notes to the dish as the former.

Serves 2

Steam around 450g green beans for 8-10 minutes and rinse with cold water to prevent overcooking. Whilst the beans are cooking make the dressing. Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a pan and add 2-3 thinly sliced salad onions and 4 rashers of finely chopped smoked bacon. Stir-fry until the bacon is cooked, then add 2 finely chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 1-2 minutes and remove the pan from the heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses and some freshly chopped garden herbs (I used chives and oregano) season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Place some salad leaves in a serving dish and top with the beans. Pour over the hot dressing and finish with 50g crumbled Wensleydale cheese and serve immediately.

bean salad

Treacles Tea Shop

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The Green, Chiddingfold, GU8 4TUafternoon tea at treacles in Chiddingfold

An elegant tea-shop serving homemade classics with provenance

Go there for: Overfilled sandwiches, gorgeous cakes and afternoon tea.

Avoid: Not ordering afternoon tea in advance if you want the full monty.

Is it worth the calories?: Go for a walk first and earn a guilt-free treat.

Tips: Check out the cards and shabby chic home accessories.

It was a delight to learn that this reincarnation of the uninspiring Green Room has been choreographed by Tracey Honeysett. She trained at Westminster College and her impressive CV includes time as a pastry chef at a London’s Mayfair hotel and ownership of a Michelin starred restaurant in Surrey. More recently Tracey launched the menu at the Hothouse Café at the Medicine Garden, Cobham. This café now boasts a stylish interior, and you can pick up a tasteful selection of home-wares and greeting cards.

With a small on-site kitchen there is a manageable sandwich and panini menu using some local ingredients. Tracey bakes most of the cakes at home, supplementing these with cup cakes from Butter and Cream in Milford. Bread is delivered each day from  Bread of Heaven in Haselmere ; ham and other meats come from Black Barn butchers at Secretts. Coffee is from artisan roasters Coffee Real (ethically sourced and expertly cupped) and a great selection of teas and soft drinks complement the menu.

ham sandwichWe visited on a warm day so we sat outdoors overlooking the green. Indoors we noticed a group of ladies enjoying a full afternoon tea. Served on a dramatic cake stand were macaroons, crustless mini sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and madeleines. I chose a more modest ham sandwich on granary bread: overfilled, fresh and packed with salad, it was robust and hearty but I couldn’t resist asking for a spoon of homemade spicy tomato chutney on the side. A perfect addition, this lent a piquant nudge to the palate. I was also tempted by the hummus and char-grilled peppers (£5.75) and egg mayonnaise made with free-range eggs (£4.50) from Hallgate Farm in Sussex. My son’s hot sausage sandwich (£5.00) disappeared so fast I only managed to get a picture of half of it but he assured me it was on a par with the best. We shared a slice of carrot cake (£2.50); it was moist and spicy and I think Paul and Mary would have struggled to find fault. When Tracey is busy villagers supplement her cakes with their home-baked offerings: she says the coffee and walnut cake is a big hit.

treacles_trio

Service here is friendly and efficient and the achievable menu won’t disappoint. Tracey is keen to experiment and develop the menu but is taking it slowly: she wants to get into the groove before doing any serious marketing. Already discovered by cyclists, this café is a jolly good reason to stop off in Chiddingfold.

treacles_tea_shop_exterior_9x6

01428 684859

Facebook page

No website at present

Text and images Shirlee
Text and images Shirlee